How was medical science able to make the extraordinary journey to where it is today? What major discoveries made it possible? Who were the fascinating individuals responsible for those discoveries, and what qualities prepared each of them for their unique roles in medical history? In these 12 lectures, you'll examine the lives of 12 of medicine's greatest contributors to uncover the human story behind the development of Western scientific medicine. Focusing not on science but on medical history, you'll examine stories about strivings, disappointments, triumphs of human genius, and sometimes, greed. Dr. Nuland introduces introduce you to medicine's trailblazers, including Hippocrates, seen as the “father” of Western medicine; Andreas Vesalius, who established the world's first truly accurate description of human anatomy; Joseph Lister, who discovered the cause of post-operative infection; and Helen Taussig, who launched the advent of pediatric cardiac surgery. Woven into these biographies are topics such as the rise of universities and how they influenced medical education; the appearance of scientific method; the influence of individual personality on achievement along with the accompanying influence of national character and culture; the role of the church; and the part played by each discoverer's psychological makeup.
